Screw guides for bone plates

ABSTRACT

A fastener guide that includes a body. The body includes a through-bore configured for receiving a fastener and an end configured for contacting a bone plate. The fastener guide further includes at least one member configured for contacting and retaining the fastener within the body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional application based upon U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 62/947,577, entitled “SCREW GUIDES FOR BONEPLATES”, filed Dec. 13, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to bone closure devices forsecuring bone portions together, and more particularly, to a screw guidefor use with a bone plate.

2. Description of the Related Art

Some surgical procedures involve separating a bone into portions andreuniting the bone portions after conducting the desired operationwithin the body. Various devices are used to refix or resecure the boneportions to one another. For example, in a sternal reapproximationmedical procedure, one or more sternal fixation or closure devices canbe used to hold and secure the portions of the sternum together.Generally, each sternal fixation device will engage or otherwise wraparound the sternal portions in order to hold and secure the sternalportions together. One such fixation device is a bone plate with one ormore threaded holes for receiving bone screws therein. The bone platespans across the bone portions, and upon screwing the bone screws intothe bone portions, the bone plate holds the bone portions together.

A positioning device or screw guide may be used in conjunction with abone plate to help guide the bone screw into the bone plate. A typicalscrew guide includes a screw cartridge with multiple screws therein anda tubular body with a channel or through-bore. The channel of the screwguide receives the screw, from the cartridge, and guides the bone screwto the desired threaded hole in the bone plate. The screw guide may alsoguide the screwdriver or drill bit which screws the bone screw into thethreaded hole of the bone plate.

What is needed in the art is an easy-to-use screw guide for easilyretaining and guiding a screw into a bone plate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a fastener guide that collectivelyretains a fastener therein, secures itself relative to a bone plate, andaccordingly aligns the fastener to the desired hole of the bone plate.The fastener guide includes a body with a through-bore and an end whichcontacts the bone plate. The fastener guide also includes at least onemember for contacting and retaining the fastener within the through-boreof the body.

The present invention in one form is directed to a fastener guide forguiding a fastener into a hole of a bone plate. The fastener guideincludes a body. The body includes a through-bore configured forreceiving the fastener and an end configured for contacting the boneplate to align the fastener relative to the hole of the bone plate. Thefastener guide also includes at least one member configured forcontacting and retaining the fastener within the body.

The present invention in another form is directed to a method forsecuring bone portions of an individual. The method includes an initialstep of providing a fastener guide. The fastener guide includes a body.The body includes a through-bore and an end. The fastener guide alsoincludes at least one member. The method further includes inserting afastener into the through-bore of the body. The at least one membercontacts and applies a retaining force onto the fastener to retain thefastener within the body. The method further includes aligning thefastener relative to a hole of a bone plate by engaging the end of thebody with the bone plate. The method further includes inserting thefastener into the hole of the bone plate such that the fastener movesdownwardly through the through-bore and overcomes the retaining forceapplied by the at least one member.

An advantage of the present invention is that the screw guideautomatically retains the screw within the body of the screw guide andreleases the screw when the screw is screwed into the bone plate.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the screw guideautomatically aligns the screw with the desired hole of the bone plateupon engaging with the bone plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention,and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and theinvention will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single screw guide for guiding a screwinto a bone plate, the screw guide includes a collar and a stem disposedwithin the collar;

FIG. 2 is cross-sectional view of the single screw guide, taken acrossline 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stem of the single screw guide ofFIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a single screwguide in the form of an auto-releasing screw guide which automaticallydisengages from the bone plate once the screw is seated into the boneplate;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 5, whereinthe screw guide is shown connected to the bone plate and the screw ispartially seated within the bone plate;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a single screwguide in the form of a reducing screw guide which includes forceps,wherein the screw guide is shown connected to the bone plate;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 5, whereinthe screw guide is shown disconnected from the bone plate;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another embodiment of a single screw guidein the form of a compression screw guide which includes a compressionmember for gripping the screw;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 8, whereinthe screw guide is shown connected to the bone plate and the screw ispartially seated within the bone plate;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a single screwguide in the form of a deformable screw guide which includes amonolithic body with multiple deformable sections;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 10, whereinthe screw guide is shown connected to the bone plate and the screw ispositioned within the screw guide;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a screw guide handlewhich includes a handle member, an elongated extension member, and ascrew-guide member for temporarily holding a screw;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide, taken across line13-13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of another single screwguide in the form of a threaded, break-away single screw guide;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 14, whereinthe screw guide is shown to be threaded onto the bone plate and thescrew is positioned within the screw guide;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 14, whereinthe screw guide is shown to be threaded onto the bone plate and thescrew is seated within the bone plate;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide of FIG. 14, whereinthe screw guide is broken off and the threaded portion of the screwguide remains within the bone plate;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a screw guide with amagazine; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the screw guide, taken across line19-19 of FIG. 18.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. The exemplifications set out hereinillustrate embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications arenot to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in anymanner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, thereis shown an embodiment of a single fastener guide 10 for guiding afastener 12 into a fixation device 14, such as a bone plate 14. Inoperation, the single screw guide 10 applies a retaining force onto thefastener 12 and retains the fastener 12 within its body until the forceof the screwdriver or drill applies a stronger downward force on thefastener 12 when moving, e.g. screwing, the fastener 12 into thedesignated hole 16 of the bone plate 14. The screw guide 10 also rigidlyattaches to, e.g. clamps onto, one or more mating features 18, e.g.undercuts 18, of the bone plate 14. The screw guide 10 further guidesthe screw 12 into the bone plate 14. The fastener 12 may be in the formof a bone screw 12. Alternatively, the fastener 12 may be in the form ofa marking device, a peg, a headless pin, etc. The screw guide 10 mayalso be used to guide other devices, such as screwdrivers, drill bits,etc., or any portion thereof.

The single screw guide 10 may generally include a multipart body with amain body member, i.e., stem 20, that includes deformable or flexingarms 22, a collar 24 movably, e.g. slidably, attached to the stem 20, ahandle member 26 connected to the stem 20, and a biasing member 28, suchas a coil spring, for biasing the collar 24. The single screw guide 10may comprise any desired material, such as a metal and/or plasticmaterial.

The stem 20 supports the biasing member 28 in between the handle member26 and the collar 24. The stem 20 has an upper end which mounts thehandle member 26 and a lower end that is configured to engage with thebone plate 14. The lower end may have a contour which corresponds to thecontour of the bone plate 14. The arms 22 of the stem 20 may be in theform of leaf-spring arms 22. Hence, the arms 22 may be outwardly biasedsuch that the movement of the collar 24 down the stem 20 pushes the arms22 inwardly so that the arms 22 engage with the mating features 18 ofthe bone plate 14. Therein, the arms 22 may selectively grip orotherwise engage the bone plate 14 via the sliding movement of thecollar 24.

The stem 20 may further include one or more elongated arms or beam(s) 30for gripping or otherwise temporarily retaining the screw 12 within theinternal through-bore or cavity or guide 32 of the stem 20. For example,the stem 20 may include a single beam 30. The one or more beams 30 mayextend upwardly from the lower end and inwardly such that the beam(s) 30at least partially extend(s) into the internal cavity 32. Each beam 30contacts and causes interference with the screw 12. This interferencecauses the screw 12 to be held within the internal cavity 32. Applying adownward force on the screw 12 will force the beam(s) 30 outwardly andaway from internal cavity 32 so that the screw 12 may fully pass throughthe internal cavity 32 and into the bone plate 14. Each beam 30 may beapproximately parallel to the internal cavity 32, for example plus orminus 15 degrees offset from a longitudinal axis defined by the internalcavity 32. Each beam 30 may be machined from a sidewall of the stem 20such that the bottom of the beam 30 remains coupled with the stem 20 andthe top of the beam 30 is free to extend inwardly into the internalcavity 32. Each beam 30 may extend at least partially, for examplesubstantially, along the length of the stem 20.

The collar 24 is slidably locked in between the biasing member 28 andthe lower end of the stem 20. The collar 24 can be actuated proximallylike a syringe to allow the arms 22 to flex away from or toward the restof the stem 20 and the bone plate 14. A downward force will force thehooks on the arms 22 to fit around the bone plate 14 and mate with themating features 18 on the bottom of the bone plate 14. When a userreleases the collar 24, the spring tension will slide the collar 24distally downward, and thereby prevent the arms 22 from unclamping thebone plate 14. Once the screw 12 has been driven into the bone, the usermay actuate the collar 24 to allow the arms 22 to unclamp the bone plate14. Accordingly, the single screw guide 10 may be removed from the boneplate 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, there is shown another embodiment of asingle screw guide 40 for guiding the screw 12 into the hole 16 of thebone plate 14. The single screw guide 40 may be in the form of anauto-releasing screw guide 40 that automatically disengages from thebone plate 14 upon the screw 12 being screwed into the bone plate 14.The single screw guide 40 may be substantially similar to the screwguide 10 as discussed above, except that the singe screw guide 40 doesnot include a spring-biased collar. The single screw guide 40 maygenerally include a stem 42 with arms 44 and one or more arms or beams46. The stem 42 may also include an internal through-bore or cavity 48that has a necked down inner diameter. Hence, the internal cavity 48tapers inwardly as its lower end so that the screw 12 may directlyinterface therewith. The internal cavity 48 may also include anend-chamfer that engages with the screw 12 such that as the screw 12passes the end of the internal cavity 48, the single screw guide 40 ispushed upwardly away from the bone plate 14 by way of the screw 12.

In operation, to engage the single screw guide 40, a user may apply adownward force onto the single screw guide 40, which forces the arms 44to flex out around the outside of the bone plate 14 and accordinglyengage the mating features 18 of the bone plate 14. As the screw 12 ispushed through the internal cavity 48, the screw 12 will act against theinner walls of the internal cavity 48 and push the arms 44 outwardly toaccordingly disengage the arms 44 from the mating features 18 of thebone plate 14. The single screw guide 40 may comprise any desiredmaterial, such as a metal and/or plastic material.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-7, there is shown another embodiment of asingle screw guide 50. The single screw guide 50 may be in the form of aplate reducing single screw guide 50. The single screw guide 50 may besubstantially similar to the screw guide 10 as discussed above, exceptthat the singe screw guide 50 includes forceps 52 instead of aspring-biased collar 24. The screw guide 50 includes the forceps 52, acollar-end member 54, and a stem 56. It should be appreciated that thestem 56 may be substantially similar to the stem 20 or stem 42 asdiscussed above. The single screw guide 50 may comprise any desiredmaterial, such as a metal and/or plastic material.

The forceps 52 are used to reduce the bone plate 14 to the bone so thatthe bone plate 14 is substantially flush against the bone. Thecollar-end member 54 circumferentially engages with the stem 56 of thescrew guide 50. In this regard, the collar-end member 54 connects theforceps 52 to the stem 56. The collar-end member 54 operates similarlyto the collar 24 in that the collar-end member 54 moves the arms 58inwardly as the forceps 52 are closed by the user in order to engage thearms 58 with the bone plate 14. When the forceps 52 are open, thecollar-end member 54 slides upwardly relative to the stem 56 so that thearms 58 outwardly bend away from the bone plate 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-9, there is shown another embodiment of asingle screw guide 60. The single screw guide 60 may be in the form of acompression single screw guide 60. The single screw guide 60 may besimilar to the single screw guide 10, as discussed above. The singlescrew guide 60 may generally include a multipart body with a main bodymember, i.e., stem 62, a collar 64 movably attached to the stem 62, ahandle member 66 connected to the stem 62, a biasing member 68, such asa spring, for biasing the collar 64, and a compression member 70 that isinternally disposed within the stem 62. The single screw guide 60 maycomprise any desired material, such as a metal and/or plastic material.

The compression member 70 contacts the screw and applies a compressionforce, e.g. an inwardly directed force, onto the screw for retaining thescrew within the stem 62. The compression member 70 is located withinthe stem 62 in between the collar 64 and the handle member 66. Thecompression member 70 includes an annular and open top 72 and at leasttwo compression beams or arms 74 extending downwardly from the top 72and towards the bone plate 14. The arms 74 have a lower portion which isinwardly angled. The tip of these arms 74 match the outer diameter ofthe shank of the screw 12. In operation, as the screw 12 advances intothe bone, the interference between the arms 74 and the head of the screw12 creates compression. Once the driving force of the screw 12 overcomesthe inwardly biased force of the arms 74, the arms 74 will flex aroundthe head of the screw 12 and allow the screw 12 to be fully seated intothe bone plate 14. As can be appreciated, the screws 12 may be in theform of locking screws 12 which dually thread into the bone plate 14 andthe bone. The single screw guide 60 may also reduce the chance of havingthe bone plate 14 sit proud on the bone because the compression member70 creates sufficient compression on the screw 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-11, there is shown another embodiment of asingle screw guide 80. The single screw guide 80 may be in the form of adeformable single screw guide 80. The single screw guide 80 maygenerally include a single-piece, or monolithic, body 82 with slits 84for sectionalizing the body 82 into multiple deformable sections 86which may move or flex relative to one another. For example, the singlescrew guide 80 may include at least two slits 84 for creating at leastone deformable member or section 86 for retaining the screw 12 withinthe body 82. The single-piece body 82 may also include an internalthrough-bore or cavity 88 that is tapered. Due to the taper of theinternal cavity 88, the sections 86 will flex outwardly as the screw 12moves downwardly due to the downward force applied thereon. In moredetail, the head of the screw 12 will push the sections 86 outwardly asthe screw 12 is forced downwardly by the screwdriver or drill. Thescrew-guide member 80 may comprise any desired material, such as adeformable plastic material.

In operation, the screw 12 may be inserted within the single screw guide80. The screw 12 may then be temporarily held within the internal cavity88. Then, the single screw guide 80 may be partially threaded into thebone plate 14. The user may then advance the screw 12 toward the boneplate 14. As the screw 12 moves downwardly, the interference between thehead of the screw 12 and the inner diameter of the internal cavity 88will cause the deformable sections 86 to spread apart from one another,and then the threaded end of the screw guide 80 will disengage from thebone plate 14. The screw 12 can then be fully seated within the boneplate 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-13, there is shown an embodiment of a screwguide handle 90. The screw guide handle 90 may generally include ahandle member 92, an elongated extension member 94, and a screw-guidemember 96 for temporarily holding a screw 12. The screw guide handle 90does not removably attach to the bone plate 14; instead, a user holdsthe screw-guide member 96 over a respective hole 16 in the bone plate 14so that the screw 12 may be subsequently inserted in the bone plate 14.It should be appreciated that the screw-guide member 96 may or may notat least partially extend into the hole 16 of the bone plate 14.

The body of the screw-guide member 96 may be removably or fixedlyconnected to the end of the extension member 94. The screw-guide member96 includes multiple beams or arms 98 which engage with and compress thescrew 12. For instance, the screw-guide member 96 may have five arms 98.However, the screw-guide member 96 may include any desired number ofarms 98 such as two, three, five, or more arms 98. Each arm 98 may havea lower end which is inwardly angled. Hence, each arm 98 will createcompression as the screw 12 passes through the screw-guide member 96.Furthermore, each arm 98 will act against the bone plate 14 such thatthe bone plate 14 is pushed downwardly to remove any gaps between thebottom of the bone plate 14 and the bone. The screw-guide member 96 maycomprise any desired material, such as a plastic material.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-17, there is shown another embodiment of asingle screw guide 100. The single screw guide 100 may be in the form ofa threaded, break-away single screw guide 100 that is made of the samematerial as the bone plate 14. For example, the single screw guide 100and the bone plate 14 may both be comprised of metal. The single screwguide 100 may generally include a single-piece or monolithic body in theform of a stem 102 that has an open top end, a threaded lower end, oneor more arms or beams 104 for temporarily engaging the screw 12, and aninternal through-bore or cavity 106 which temporarily houses and guidesthe screw 12. The threaded, lower end of the stem 102 may be thinnerthan the remaining body of the stem 102. At the lower end of the stem102, the internal cavity 106 may also be threaded. In other words, theinternal diameter of the internal cavity 106 may be threaded forengaging with the screw 12 (FIG. 16).

In operation, the single screw guide 100 may initially receive the screw12. Therein, the beam(s) 104 may contact the screw 12 and temporarilyhold the screw in the internal cavity 106. Then, the single screw guide100 may be threaded into the bone plate 14 (FIG. 15). Next, the user mayapply downward pressure on the screw 12 and begin screwing the screw 12such that the screw 12 engages with the threads of the internal cavity106 and/or the threads of the bone plate 14. Once the screw 12 is fullyseated, the lower end of the single screw guide 100 may be broken offflush with the bone plate 14 after the threaded end is screwed into thebone plate (FIG. 17). In this regard, the threaded end of the stem 102may be considered a breakaway end.

Referring now to FIGS. 18-19, there is shown an embodiment of arapid-loading, single screw guide 110 which has multiple pre-loadedscrews 12. The single screw guide 110 may generally include a magazine112, a stem 114 coupled to the magazine 112, a collar 116 slidablyattached to the stem 114, and a biasing member 118, such as a spring,for biasing the collar 116. The single screw guide 110 may comprise anydesired material, such as a metal and/or plastic material.

The magazine 112 is preloaded with and stores multiple screws 12. Themagazine 112 then individually dispenses a respective screw 12 into theinternal cavity of the stem 114. The magazine 112 is fixedly attached tothe upper portion of the stem 114. The magazine 112 generally includes arectangular body 120 with an internal chamber 122, one or more tracks124, such as a pair of tracks 124, a feeding member 126 slidablydisposed within the track 124 for engaging with and feeding the screws12 into the stem 114, a biasing member 128 for biasing the feedingmember 126 such that the biasing member 128 pushes the screws 12 towardthe stem 114, and a loading slot 130 (FIG. 19). The chamber 122 may ormay not include a channel or shelf for contacting and at least partiallysupporting the screws 12. The channel of the chamber 122 may open intothe stem 114. The feeding member 126 may comprise a bolt extending aboveand below the body 120, outside of the tracks 124, and a screw-engagingmember such as a block for contacting the screws 12. The biasing member128 may be located in between a back wall of the chamber 122 and thefeeding member 126. The loading slot 130 may be located on a sidesurface of body 120.

The stem 114 supports the biasing member 118 in between the bottom ofthe body 120 and the collar 116. The stem 114 may be substantiallysimilar to the stem 20, as described above. Thereby, the stem 114 mayinclude arms 132 for engaging the bone plate 14 and one or more beams134 for temporarily engaging and holding the screw 12 within the stem114. Furthermore, the stem 114 may operate substantially similar to thestem 20.

In operation, the user may preload the screws 12 into the magazine 112by sliding the feeding member 126 rearwardly in the track 124 andinserting the screws 12 through the loading slot 130. Then, the user maylet go of the feeding member 126 so that the biasing member 128 mayaccordingly bias the screws toward the stem 114. The user may removablyattach the stem 114 to the bone plate 14 via the arms 132. The user mayinsert the screw 12 within the stem 114 into a corresponding hole 16,and after the screw 12 is driven within the bone plate 14, the magazine112 may reload another screw within the stem 114. Hence, the user mayquickly and efficiently insert the preloaded screws 12 into the boneplate 14, without the need to manually load the stem 114.

While this invention has been described with respect to at least oneembodiment, the present invention can be further modified within thespirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is thereforeintended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the inventionusing its general principles. Further, this application is intended tocover such departures from the present disclosure as come within knownor customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fastener guide for guiding a fastener into ahole of a bone plate, comprising: a body comprising a through-boreconfigured for receiving the fastener and an end configured forcontacting the bone plate to align the fastener relative to the hole ofthe bone plate; and at least one member configured for contacting andretaining the fastener within the body.
 2. The fastener guide of claim1, wherein the at least one member extends at least partially into thethrough-bore.
 3. The fastener guide of claim 1, wherein the at least onemember is approximately parallel to the through-bore.
 4. The fastenerguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one member comprises twodeformable members configured for flexing inwardly to hold the fastenerand flexing outwardly as the fastener moves downwardly through thethrough-bore.
 5. The fastener guide of claim 1, further comprising apair of deformable arms configured for selectively engaging the boneplate.
 6. The fastener guide of claim 5, further comprising a collarslidably attached to the body, a handle member connected to the body,and a biasing member located in between the collar and the handlemember.
 7. The fastener guide of claim 6, wherein the pair of deformablearms are in the form of a pair of leaf-spring arms which are outwardlybiased such that a downward movement of the collar pushes the pair ofleaf-spring arms inwardly so that the pair of leaf-spring arms grip ontothe bone plate.
 8. The fastener guide of claim 1, further comprisingforceps, a pair of deformable arms configured for selectively engagingthe bone plate, and a collar member connecting the forceps to the bodyand being configured for moving the deformable arms for selectivelygripping onto the bone plate.
 9. The fastener guide of claim 1, whereinthe at least one member is in the form of a compression memberinternally disposed within the body, the compression member beingconfigured for contacting and retaining the fastener.
 10. The fastenerguide of claim 9, wherein the compression member comprises an open topand at least two compression arms extending downwardly from the top. 11.The fastener guide of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises atleast two slits which form the at least one member.
 12. The fastenerguide of claim 11, wherein the through-bore is tapered such that the atleast one member outwardly flexes as the fastener moves downwardlythrough the through-bore.
 13. The fastener guide of claim 1, furthercomprising a handle member and an elongated extension member extendingoutwardly from the handle member, wherein the body is connected to theelongated extension member.
 14. The fastener guide of claim 1, whereinthe end of the body is threaded and configured for breaking away uponbeing inserted into the bone plate.
 15. The fastener guide of claim 1,further comprising a magazine coupled to the body, the magazine beingconfigured for storing multiple fasteners and dispensing the fastenersinto the body.
 16. The fastener guide of claim 15, further comprising apair of deformable arms configured for selectively engaging the boneplate, a collar slidably attached to the body, and a biasing memberlocated in between the magazine and the collar.
 17. A method forsecuring bone portions of an individual, comprising: providing afastener guide comprising a body having a through-bore and an end and atleast one member; inserting a fastener into the through-bore of thebody, the at least one member contacting and applying a retaining forceonto the fastener to retain the fastener within the body; aligning thefastener relative to a hole of a bone plate by engaging the end of thebody with the bone plate; and inserting the fastener into the hole ofthe bone plate such that the fastener moves downwardly through thethrough-bore and overcomes the retaining force applied by the at leastone member.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one memberextends at least partially into the through-bore.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the at least one member is approximately parallel tothe through-bore.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least onemember comprises two deformable members configured for flexing inwardlyto hold the fastener and flexing outwardly as the fastener movesdownwardly through the through-bore.